IFFI 2019 to screen films with audio description

Movies with audio descriptions will be screened for the visually impaired persons for the first time at the 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) which scheduled to begin in Goa on November 20.

In the audio description cinema, an additional narration track is created to describe what is happening on the screen during the pauses between the dialogues audio. Visually impaired persons can access it through special headphones and enjoy the movie. It does not affect the experience of other viewers.

To make audio-visual entertainment inclusive in India, the government has recently asked the film industry to produce films with audio description service so that visually impaired persons can also access them without requiring a companion to explain what is happening during the pauses in the audio.

“Screening of audio description film at IFFI is a special feature of this golden jubilee edition of the international film festival,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said in an audio message on Sunday.

The eight-day international film festival, scheduled to conclude on November 28, will showcase over 200 best films from the best films in various languages from as many as 76 countries. Russia is the partner country for this year's IFFI.

A total of 26 feature films and 15 non-feature films have been selected for screening in the Indian panorama section of the IFFI.

While Gujarati film Hellaro, directed by Abhishek Shah, will open the Indian Panorama section of the film festival, Kannada movie Ranganayaki, directed by Dayal Padmanabhan, has been selected for screening in this section under the feature film category.

Hellaro recently bagged the national award under the category of best feature film for the year 2018.

'Uri: The Surgical Strike', Hrithik Roshan-starrer 'Super 30', Ayushmann Khurrana-led 'Badhaai Ho' and India's official entry to Oscars, 'Gully Boy' are among the five movies selected for screening at the film festival under 'mainstream cinema category'

With the IFFI celebrating its golden jubilee this year, a total of 12 prominent films, which were produced in different languages 50 years ago, will also be showcased during the mega event.

"Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner Amitabh Bachchan's outstanding contribution to cinema will be honoured and celebrated through a package of his impactful and entertaining films in the 50th edition," Javadekar said.